Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence

This study investigated how different types of maltreatment during childhood are linked to experiencing violence from a romantic partner or using violence against a romantic partner in adulthood. We looked at five different types of childhood maltreatment: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect. We administered an online survey to measure childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence, and we had a total of 1364 participants. Our results showed that individuals who experienced emotional abuse and physical neglect during their childhood are more likely to experience and use violence in their romantic relationships in adulthood. On the other hand, individuals who experienced emotional neglect during childhood are less likely to experience and use violence in their adult romantic relationships, and a possible explanation for this could be those individuals’ tendency to avoid closeness, deep connections, and conflicts in their...Show moreThis study investigated how different types of maltreatment during childhood are linked to experiencing violence from a romantic partner or using violence against a romantic partner in adulthood. We looked at five different types of childhood maltreatment: emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect. We administered an online survey to measure childhood maltreatment and intimate partner violence, and we had a total of 1364 participants. Our results showed that individuals who experienced emotional abuse and physical neglect during their childhood are more likely to experience and use violence in their romantic relationships in adulthood. On the other hand, individuals who experienced emotional neglect during childhood are less likely to experience and use violence in their adult romantic relationships, and a possible explanation for this could be those individuals’ tendency to avoid closeness, deep connections, and conflicts in their relationships. We also found that experiencing physical abuse during childhood is more closely connected to experiencing violence from a romantic partner, while we did not find any clear effects for sexual abuse. Overall, our findings showed that how children are treated might have long-lasting effects and might even affect their romantic relationships in adulthood. Understanding these patterns might help us to prevent violence in relationships and provides us more insight about preventative care as well as potentially better help and care for victims of these dynamics.Show less

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Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence